Asil chicken breed also referred to as Aseel are ornamental birds. Initially, they were used for cock fighting but that later changed.
These chickens are very unique and have their own unique appearance. They are tall and muscular and can easily intimidate and scare little children.
So, what do you know of asil chickens? If you don’t, you have landed yourself on the right spot where you will get to know much.
In this article, I am going to expound everything you need to know about these show chickens and faithful chicken pets.
This will, help you know whether this is the right breed for you or not. Why don’t we roll?
Asil chicken background
Asil chickens are an Asiatic chicken breed that traces their ancestry in India. Here, these chickens are believed to have existed many years ago.
In records called Codes of Manu, there are writings of these chickens dating back to 900-1280BC. It is not yet clear whether they were from India or Pakistan.
Aseel chickens were highly prized for cock fighting because they are very good at it. They are strong and robust making owners win numerous trophies in various cock fighting competitions.
They were first introduced to England in 1847. Dr. H. P. Clarke heard about these fancy chickens and could not sleep until he ensured that on 1887 they got to the United States.
These chickens are very few and the Livestock Conservancy has listed them as endangered. They are not widely kept because they lay very few eggs which are not enough to breed them in numbers.
Characteristics and Breed Standard of Asil chickens
Asil chickens are found in different color varieties. The recognized Asil chicken colors are White, Black, Duckwing, Dark, Spangled and Black Breasted Red. In 1981, these chickens were officially admitted in the APA.
These chickens are very unique in appearance and behavior towards other chicken breeds. They are very tall with long legs and necks.
Asil chickens have a game bird appearance and closely resemble some wild birds. It is not mistakable that game birds greatly contributed their genes to the development of these fancy chickens.
They have multi colored plumage with colored shanks and compact upright bodies. The comb is of pea type a good indicator that they are cold tolerant chickens.
Their combs, wattles and earlobes are small and red in color. These chickens seem to have a small dewlap under the throats telling you that they will be equally fine under hot weather.
Asil chickens have a yellow beak that is slightly curved and strong. Eye color is darkish while the legs and skin are yellow.
They exhibit clean legs that lack feathers on them with four well-spaced toes and short claws on each foot.
Asil chicken rooster spurs grow very big and require regular clipping to avoid injuring other chickens especially when chaos break out.
These feathered friends have long bodies. Actually for the lack of a better term, I can refer to them as tall and slender.
Their tails are held low near the ground because they don’t have an upright posture but rather tend to bend backwards at an angle.
Asil chicken is a huge bird and heavy just like it appears. An average rooster weighs about 4kgs while a mature hen weighs about 3kgs.
Temperament and Hardiness
These birds are some of the friendliest chicken breeds and very mellow to humans. They have a calm temperament towards people and are the type that will make good chicken pets.
Aseel chickens love human company and will follow you around giving you company as you go on with your daily chores.
Your asil chicken will love it when fed from your hand. She will get used to you and those cute chicken names you call her.
This will help you two bond and she will not mind coming to you running for tasty treats like Brussels sprouts and those tasty mealworms from the local tractor supply store near you.
However, the case is very different between your flock of asil hens and other chickens. These chickens are good at war and nothing will stop them from triggering a fight.
They make key bullies and are better kept with their kind. This rowdy nature is in their DNA whereby even the asil chicks will not hesitate to bully other chick breeds.
Asil chickens are very hardy and do well in both hot and cold climates. They are more likely to do better in cold areas than in hot.
For this reason, these chickens will require plenty of shaded areas to shelter from direct sun. Additionally, plenty of clean drinking water will help to cool their bodies on a hot summer day.
You can choose to top this up with some frozen treats like watermelon, cucumber or a cabbage head to keep them busy and cool.
In addition to that, the good side with these chickens is that they are avid free rangers. They prefer to roam on their own collecting seeds, tasty insects and munching on small weeds.
These birds are very predator savvy and the boys will always be on the lookout for potential predators like chicken hawks and chicken eating bears.
Asil chicken egg laying and uses
If you are looking for eggs, asil chicken is not the right breed for you. They hold the record of one of the few egg layer chickens known in the universe.
Female asil chicken hens are poor layers and in a year, they will only lay a bunch of 40-70 small egg.
Asil chicken eggs have a cream to a light brown egg shell color. These eggs only weigh about 44g on an egg scale.
The inside egg is white with a small single yellow egg yolk. However, asil hens make some of the best known chicken moms.
These ladies will sit on her eggs and after 21 days, boom! There comes those tall legged asil chicken chicks.
Asil chickens and chicks for sale can be bought from the Featherbrain hatchery or Cackle. You can also get these birds from dedicated chicken hobbyists but expect them to be pricy because of rarity.
Since asil chicken is a heavy and muscular bird, expect it to offer some substantive amount of meat. A mature bird when butchered can offer enough meat for a large family.
Asil chicken lifespan
Asil chickens can live for long when kept as house pets and ornamental chickens. These birds will enjoy best food, health care, will be allowed to accompany their masters for a swim and will have diapers put on.
However, those kept for meat may not live longer and will be butchered as soon as they attain the right market weight.
Asil roosters are likely going to be unlucky because keeping more than one male can lead to serous fights and even death.
The good thing with these chickens is that they can live for more than 10 years because they lay few eggs.
Unlike Red sexlinks chickens that are worn out and exhausted after 3 years because of laying many eggs, the case with aseel chickens is different.
A normal Asil chicken will live between 5-8 years but this period is likely to lengthen when given good quality care.
Health issues
Asil chicken is a healthy, robust and strong bird. They will do well in cold climates as well as in hot climates.
However, external parasites like chicken lice and scaly mites are a notorious threat. These tiny fellows will suck blood, damage the skin and the young developing feathers.
Using small amounts of diatomaceous earth powder in the chicken dirt bath can help. Dust this powder on roost perches and on the chicken bedding just to make sure not a single parasite is spared.
Another health threat is infestation by internal parasites like thread and gape worms. They live inside the chicken’s body where they feed and reproduce.
To control chicken worms, seek the advice from a qualified bird vet near you on the right chicken wormer to administer.
If you are living in a hot area, ensure that your hens have enough shaded areas to shelter from direct sun.
Also, give them plenty of clean drinking water to help cool their bodies on hot summer days keeping them well hydrated.
Is Asil chicken the right for you?
Asil chickens are good ornamental chickens and make awesome pets. They have a fancy appearance and a calm nature towards humans.
They tolerate free ranging well helping lower the costs of feeding them. Keeping these chooks will help control weeds and insect pests on your vegetable garden.
Although they are not good for eggs, their large frames will offer enough meat for you and your family. Nothing goes to waste!
Those kitchen scraps like leftover asparagus, peanuts and left overs will no longer end up in the compost. Some of your waste is food to these chickens.
This is a healthy and strong breed. It will adapt on every climate and soil as long as they are well fed and cared for.
Final thoughts about asil chicken
Asil chickens are good feathered friends to include in your flock. They are rare but make good backyard chickens to those who are lucky to have some.
These chooks are friendly and pose no threat to your kids. Male asil chickens are dangerous when kept together and will fight to the death.
These chickens are very mean and do not like to be integrated with others. They are best bullies and will harass your white hens because they rank at the top of the pecking order.
Do you keep Asil chickens? Share your thoughts.
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